Project Starmine (2019)
Combat Designer | System Designer
The game
Turn-based JRPG, reimagined.
A game project started during University continuing to be iterated on through semesters.
What if random monster encounters was a part of our daily lives?
What if fashion brands sold armor and sports gear sold weapons?
What if bosses blocked traffic but you still had to get to work on time?
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An RPG borne from those ideas, this is how the development progressed:
Design Process
Key Components of the Gameplay
I developed this idea with different teams throughout my study. Regardless of the team makeup, these are the components I definitely needed in this project.
RPG: Progession Matters
Being an RPG at its core, it is imperative every upgrade's impact must be felt.
Party: Not a group of Individuals
Rather than characters that just function differently, party members must symbiotically work with the player, bringing each other to greater heights.
No Randomness
No % chance for accuracy or evasion. Putting the player in control of their success with skill-based input.
The Mechanics
Branching off from the familiar
Just like a traditional JRPG, players and the enemy take turns selecting skills to deal damage to one another.
Battle System: Interactive Combat
However, instead of relying on % for hit and miss, combat requires the player to physically make contact with the enemy to confirm an attack.
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Different skills have different methods of movement, presenting decisions to make depending on the enemy faced.
A Party, not Individuals
As opposed to having a team of independent individuals with slightly diverse movesets, the party system was designed with 'cooperation' in mind.
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Certain members' attacks are solely about leaving bombs or pickups around the battle zone.
This is our Team Attack!
Party members are dependent on each other to activate their respective attacks. In essence, in order to reach the largest damage numbers, they cannot avoid working together.
Results
Development continues.
This was a project I brought through several modules in Digipen.
Throughout its development journey, it received evaluation multiple times and from each time, I learned a lot:
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In its earliest form, being both the designer and artist I opted to go for a highly stylized art style. It was very freeform and explosive. I wagered on players eventually learning the controls and relations through trial-and-error. I eventually learned that while hardcore gamers had the ability to adapt to games like these, it wasn't as easy for casual players. If I didn't want the game to only appeal to a niche audience, I had to work on its accessibility and conveyance of information
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This was a game idea I got quite attached to throughout my design journey in university, being an expression of my desire to experiment. While I'm not sure if I'll ever develop this to completion, it has already cemented itself as a big part of my growth as a designer.
